February Home Construction Strong in Polk County

A total 117 permits for new single-family homes were recorded in Polk County last month, up 8.3 percent from 108 permits the year before, according to county and city building departments.

By KYLE KENNEDYTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | February was an encouraging month for local home building activity.A total 117 permits for new single-family homes were recorded in Polk County last month, up 8.3 percent from 108 permits the year before, according to county and city building departments.It was the highest total for the month of February since 2008, when 293 permits were recorded here. February's activity was down slightly from 129 permits in January.Bartow, not typically a hotbed of new home construction, stood out last month with 20 permits."The past six months have been picking up fairly well," said Greg Lamb, Bartow's building director. A number of residential developments that went stagnant in recent years have been seeing new growth lately, Lamb said.Polk's construction industry has been slow to rebound, but home permits reached a four-year high in 2012. Economists say Florida builders should benefit as the U.S. economy continues to recover, driving population growth and demand for new homes.Nationally, total housing starts (including multifamily buildings) jumped 27.7 percent in February from the year before, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday. Single-family home starts were up 31.5 percent from February 2012. It was the fastest pace for single-family building activity since June 2008."Despite some bumps in the road, overall housing production continues on the solid upward trend that we saw throughout 2012," said David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. "Moreover, further gains in permit issuance are a positive sign that home construction will continue to drive economic and job growth in the coming months, albeit at a slower pace than would be possible without certain limiting factors."NAHB officials say builders and buyers alike are still having problems obtaining credit, and some builders are dealing with "newly arising challenges" that include lot shortages and higher costs for labor and materials.

[ Kyle Kennedy can be reached at kyle.kennedy@theledger.com or 863-802-7584. ]

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.